Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver this weekend, January 5 to 7

By Steve Newton

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY: legendary standup comedian and actor Jerry Seinfeld performs two nights at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: Theatre Replacement presents playwrights Jivesh Parasram and Christine Quintana’s family show East Van Panto: Beauty and the Beast, with music by Veda Hille, running until January 7 at the York Theatre.

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: Bright Nights in Stanley Park is a family-oriented fundraiser for the BC Professional Firefighters’ Burn Fund that runs until January 7 and features rides on the Christmas train, holiday lights display, live entertainment, and food trucks. Please note: tickets for the popular Stanley Park Christmas Train are completely SOLD OUT.

Festival of Lights at VanDusen Garden

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: running until January 7, the annual Festival of Lights features 15 acres of trees, plants, and pathways adorned with over one-million twinkling lights at VanDusen Botanical Garden.

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: 31 emerging and seasoned local designers and makers were selected to create 22 objects made from vintage mahogany for Reclaim + Repair: The Mahogany Project, running until August 7 at the Museum of Vancouver.

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: running until January 21, Canyon Lights features a dazzling Christmas-light display on the trees, bridges, and pathways of North Vancouver’s Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.

Denyse Thomasos exhibit at the VAG

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: the work of late Trinidadian-Canadian artist Denyse Thomasos is featured in the career retrospective Denyse Thomasos: just beyond, running until March of 2024 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

SUNDAY: An Operatic Affair at the UBC Old Auditorium features an evening of opera arias and excerpts sung by soprano Cassie Chang.

SUNDAY: local jazz quartet Big Shoulders–composed of guitarist Guenter Schulz, bassist Dave Shakur, drummer Stan Taylor, and flugelhorn player Norm Quinn–performs standards by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Charlie Mingus at Guilt and Co.

The Abyss screens at the Rio

SUNDAY: screening at the Rio Theatre of a 4K restoration of writer-director James Cameron’s 1989 sci-fi thriller The Abyss.

If you’re a concert promoter, arts organization, music store, or just somebody wanting to support my work, I’m looking for an exclusive sponsor of my twice-weekly Newt’s top 10 things to do in Vancouver blogs. If interested, please contact me at steve@earofnewt.com.